One-Shot: A pivotal day during the second wave of the occupation force of Paan Mokar (set roughly about one hundred years before the events of Enterprise). Also set before the Territorial Compromise which occurred later and the Treaty of 2097. It was the first incursion of Weytahn. Based loosely on what Soval alluded to in "Cease Fire" when he mentioned he was an Intelligence Officer a long time ago.
Warning: This fic is rated T for violence. Proceed with caution. Star Trek and its characters are owned by CBS and Paramount.
Stardate 2055.2
They were in orbit above Paan Mokar in the Zar'Sena, a Suurok-class Vulcan combat cruiser. It was the first of its kind to be commissioned, and it was already performing its duty admirably. It had been twenty days since the first wave of the Vulcan occupation force landed on the planetoid. While they had rounded up the majority of the Andorian colonists and had unceremoniously transferred them into refugee camps, there was a particular rebel group that was unrelenting. During the incursion several Vulcans had been wounded and many killed and the Andorians had taken five Vulcan officers hostage. They were demanding that the Vulcans and the Zar'Sena retreat and release the colonists. The Vulcans would not comply with such demands.
It had been five years since the Andorians had first landed on Paan Mokar. It had been a desolate uninhabitable planetoid on the edge of the Andorian Empire and Vulcan space. The Vulcans were unaware of reason the Andorians had for occupying the planetoid until it was discovered that they had been terraforming it. It had taken nearly four years for an atmosphere to develop. And once it was nearly Minshara class the Andorians had spent the better half of the past year colonizing the planetoid which they had renamed, Weytahn. It became abundantly clear that the only logical explanation for the Andorian occupation was its strategic location to Vulcan.
The High Command would not stand for this. They immediately annexed the planetoid, and began an initiative involving the prompt removal of the colonists. To say this upset the Andorians was quite an understatement. Their defensive actions only served to reinforce how aggressive they were. It solidified the Vulcans' belief that the Andorians needed to be removed from the Paan Mokar with immediate effect. For the last twenty days they had been tracking the Andorian rebels' positions from the Zar'Sena; making strategic moves against the enemy soldiers. However, within the last twenty-four hours the rebel group deployed some sort of jamming signal that effectively disabled all communications thwarting the occupation efforts. They were far more cunning that the Vulcans realized. The Zar'Sena, unable to relay crucial information to the ground forces, was effectively rendered quite useless.
Soval was to be a part of the second wave of the occupation force. He was selected to join a covert team being sent to the southeastern quadrant. Though communications were offline, scanner readings indicated the quadrant was where the Andorian rebel group was encamped. The team was to be led by Sopak, an exceptionally skilled negotiator. He was a particularly zealous Vulcan who was experienced in dealing with Andorians having dealt with them during many of the countless skirmishes that dotted Vulcan and Andorian history.
The shuttle shook as they descended from the bowels of the Zar'Sena heading for the southeastern quadrant. Soval closed his eyes. He did not find it particularly pleasant to be aboard such a small craft, however he knew his feelings of disconcert were illogical. He banished them from his mind as he mediated on the logic of the mission at hand.
Soval had been assigned to the team to disable the Andorian jamming signal which would allow for the Zar'Sena to communicate with the ground troops. He was the logical choice. He had graduated with honors from the Vulcan Science Academy. His primary study had been in computer science and engineering specializing in satellite control and subsystems. After graduating he had spent the last two years working for the V'Shar as an intelligence officer where he first encountered Andorian technology. At only twenty-four standard years of age it was quite an accomplishment. In fact, he was the youngest intelligence recruit to join the V'Shar in the last one hundred years. He was responsible for overseeing the maintaince of the operating systems for various security satellites through Vulcan space as well as the monitoring and collection of intelligence gathered by said security satellites.
Now it seemed all his past experiences had led to this moment. Soval was now on his way to Paan Mokar to assist in reclaiming it from the inscrutable Andorians. And although he was to be part of a team his sole purpose in the unit was to disable the Andorian jamming signal. Once communication was restored between the forces on the ground and the Zar'Sena the Vulcans would be able to regain control of the planetoid and he would be able to return to his posting at the V'Shar.
There were five of them on the team. Sopak was team lead, followed by the three tactical operatives Balik, Selmar, and T'Des. The four of them were a part of the High Command's special operations force and were highly skilled in hand to hand combat as well as covert operation protocols. Soval, though skilled in Suus Mahna and well versed in the finer points of firing a phaser pistol, had only acquired as much training as was required by the V'Shar for one in his position. He was not trained in military combat nor was he a field operative. Sopak looked at Soval as though he was a liability. Having another tactical operative with advanced combat training on his team would have been his preference; however none had the skill necessary to disable the jamming signal. He resigned himself to Soval's presence among the team and had taken the opportunity to drill Soval on the proper hand signals that they would be using on the ground. Their objective was simple. They were to infiltrate the encampment, release the hostages, and disable the jamming signal.
As they disembarked from the shuttle Sopak signaled for Soval to follow him and for Balik and T'Des to flank their sides. Selmar was to take the rear. It was standard Kauvek formation. Aptly named, the formation was an illusion to a musical quintet, though the five of them were instead instruments of a far more dangerous arrangement. Soval had his phaser pistol drawn and was in close pursuit of Sopak. He looked over and saw T'Des glance at him. Her face was expressionless, but she gave him a nod.
When they reached the front of the residential quarters of the southeastern quadrant Sopak made a gesture with his left hand and Balik and and T'Des departed in opposite directions in silence to surveil the perimeter of the compound. Selmar, moved ahead to glance into one of the windows before flattening himself against the wall. He looked over at where Sopak and Soval were standing and raised the index finger of his right hand. One guard, he indicated. He then gripped the same hand into a fist. Armed. Just then Balik and T'Des circled back around from their surveillance of the perimeter. Sopak gestured they were going open the door on the count of three. He counted on his gloved hand and on the last enumeration he slammed his shoulder into the door. It swung open violently and the Andorian guard was pushed to the ground, but not before he cried out. Selmar slid past Sopak quickly and over to the Andorian. Grabbing his shoulder he administered a nerve pinch. The guard went limp.
"Do not break formation," Sopak hissed at Selmar. He looked down and the guard nudging him with his foot as they passed. No doubt he would be out for several hours. He gestured that they continue. As they walked deeper into the recesses of the compound Soval could hear the distance animated chatter of Andorians. As the crept closer they saw that there were three Andorian rebels armed with particle weapons. It appeared that they were guarding something. Soval could not see the hostages. They were most likely being detained in another room.
Sopak quickly gestured that they fall back. As they regrouped in a nearby corridor Sopak detailed their strategy.
"Selmar, Balik, you will take the two Andorians to the far left. Disable them any way necessary. I will take the leader. T'Des you will follow behind once Selmar and Balik have incapacitated the other two. You are to look for the hostages. Soval, locate their computer, and disable the signal. We need to complete the mission as quickly as possible. The longer we remain here the higher the probability that more Andorians will be drawn to this location," he said. Selmar and Balik looked at each other. The five of them stepped back out of the corridor and back to shadows were they had been observing the Andorians.
Selmar and Balik were the first to move. They moved swiftly and with great skill. No step was wasted as each moved toward their respective charges disabling each with a shot to the head. Both Andorians crumpled to the ground. In the same moment Sopak moved forward to grab the leader from behind. He held his phaser pistol tight against the Andorian's skull. In the same moment T'Des ran forward toward the back hallway where the hostages were being kept.
Soval made quick steps to the computer. Everything was in Andorian. He made quick work of the translations. When he pinpointed where the signal was relaying from he realized it was not actually a signal at all. It was a subsystem that was disrupting the Vulcan communications channels effectively disabling them from connecting. If he could just find the access code for the system he could shut it down and communications would be restored. He pulled out his scanner and synced it to computer. It began scanning for every possible code combination. After a few seconds it stopped. He had the code. It had been all too easy. An illogical feeling of apprehension flared inside of him.
"I've got it," he said, as he looked at Sopak. Just then an Andorian came out of the shadows of the hallway with T'Des. He held her back tight against his body and held his ushaan-tor to her throat. The blade was so sharp and he was pressing it so tightly that one pointed edge had pierced her skin and a ribbon of green blood was running down into her collar. He pushed her along as he moved closer.
"Step away from the computer, Vulcan," he said. Soval set his teeth, but did not move. He glanced over at Sopak.
Though Sopak's face did not give away any emotion, Soval sensed Sopak had not expected this complication. They stood at an impasse. Selmar and Balik pointed their phasers at the Andorian.
"I will him shoot him. Release her," said Sopak his own weapon still trained on the Andorian he had pinned. The other holding T'Des laughed.
"You Vulcans think you are so smart. Go ahead shoot him. It would be an honor for him to die at his post," he said. He ran his blade with precision along T'Des's neck. He pressed only lightly enough that more blood was brought to the surface. T'Des struggled against the Andorian.
"Shhhhh, not yet," the Andorian whispered against her ear as his antennae were pointed forward menacingly. Sopak looked at Balik and Selmar.
"Lower your weapons," Sopak commanded. Balik and Selmar complied. Sopak still held his pistol against the Andorian's head he was still holding.
"Now, step away from the computer!" The Andorian demanded. Soval looked at T'Des. She was staring at him looking resolute. She shook her head slightly. She did not want Soval to comply. If he did not disable the system that was disrupting communications they were all dead. Soval looked back at Sopak.
Sopak glanced at his phaser and then at the Andorian and then back at Soval. His eyes narrowed a fraction. It was a signal. Soval turned back around and entered the code. The screen went dark as the system was disabled. At the same moment Sopak pushed the Andorian he was holding down to the ground and fired his phaser at the one holding T'Des. However, he was too late. The Andorian drew his ushaan-tor across T'Des's throat before Sopak shot him between the eyes. Soval turned around in time to watch T'Des's lifeless form fall to the ground. He ran over to her crumpled body. He had never seen a Vulcan die right before his eyes. It had been quick, and without ceremony. He felt a wave of guilt and anger rise up inside of him.
Balik grabbed the other Andorian Sopak had thrown to the ground while Selmar administered a nerve pinch. The Andorian went limp. The four of them were quiet for a moment as they gathered around T'Des. Sopak looked at Soval who was still crouched by her head.
"It was imperative that the system was disabled," Sopak said. "T'Des knew that as well," he said quietly. Soval pressed his lips together and said nothing.
"Come, we need to complete the mission," he said. They had little time. He helped Soval to stand.
The four of them retreated to the corridor. Balik broke the lock on the door to the room that held the hostages. They were uninjured. With their objective complete Sopak led them out of the compound and back the shuttle. Selmar carried T'Des's body. She would be returned to Vulcan and where she would be cremated and her family would know of her sacrifice in the line of duty.
When they were safely ensconced in the shuttle and on their way back to the Zar'Sena Soval closed his eyes. He mediated on the events that had transpired. The violence he had witnessed had been disturbing. And not all of it had been at the hands of the Andorians. Although he was told it had been necessary he wondered if it had been the only logical course of action. Violence was antithetical to their core beliefs and yet they were trying to condone it using logic. There had to be a better way. A more logical way. By the time the shuttle approached the Zar'Sena Soval was resolved. This was not his path. If he wanted to follow any semblance of Surak's teachings diplomacy was his only option.
END
A/N: I was inspired to write this after watching "Cease Fire" again. I was curious about Soval's backstory, and wanted to explore it a little. This is well before the discovery of the Kir'Shara so Vulcan was still governed by the High Command, and still militarized despite being logical and far less violent than pre-reform Vulcan. Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!
